


Silence

by Random_ag



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine, The Other Man - Fandom
Genre: Coming Out, nobody gives a shit anyways
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:02:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29757270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_ag/pseuds/Random_ag
Summary: Father and son talk.





	Silence

Silence.

The clock ticked.

Malcolm stared into his lemon tea.

Charlie waited, and breathed.

“Since when?” his father asked.

“A while now.” he answered.

“How long a while?” his father asked.

“Some years now.” he answered.

They spoke softly.

The clock ticked.

Should he have known? If they had been a pair of normal kids, of normal friends, if they had not been so nonchalant with holding hands and hugging and laying around and sitting and eating together, he could have noticed. But they had always been so affectionate. It just felt natural to see them close. Together.

“Some years now,” he repeated.

Charlie nodded.

The lemon tea was perfectly dark.

Small circles formed on top of the liquid as he hit the table with his finger.

They did not speak for a while.

“Some years now,” he repeated.

Charlie nodded.

“Are you sure?”

“Of what?”

“That this is… This is what you want.”

“I am.”

“That this is the person you want to love.”

Were you sure that Sonja was the person you wanted to love?

He did not say anything.

“I am.”

Malcolm stared into his lemon tea.

They did not speak for a while.

“Since when?” his father asked.

“I don’t know.” he answered.

“How can you not know?”

How did you know when and how you realized that you only loved women?

He did not say anything.

“I just don’t.”

“That is not an answer.”

“It is.”

“Not in this case.”

“The case doesn’t matter.”

“It does.”

“It is still an answer. I don’t know.”

“How can you not know?”

“No one ever asked.”

They did not speak for a while.

Malcolm stared into his lemon tea.

“Thaische.” he said.

Charlie nodded.

“So. Men.”

“Thaische is not a man.”

“How can he not be?”

How do you know you are?

He did not say anything.

“He isn’t.”

Some sort of… Relief, washed over him.

“So. Women.”

“Thaische is not a woman.”

“How can he not be?”

How do you know you aren’t?

He did not say anything.

“He isn’t.”

“He has to be. If he’s not a man…”

“He says he’s a bit.”

“A bit of what?”

“Just a bit.”

“That is not an answer.”

“It is.”

“It is not. It makes no sense.”

“Are you him?”

Silence.

“Do you know who he is better than him?”

Silence.

The clock ticked.

“I don’t know.”

They spoke softly.

The clock ticked.

Charlie waited, and breathed.

“What should I do now?” his father asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Now that you’ve told me. What should I do?”

“Nothing.” he answered.

“Nothing?”

“Nothing. You don’t have to do anything.”

“I must do something.”

“What kind of something?”

“I don’t know.”

“Will you kick me out? Will you hurt me?”

“Never. Never. Do not even think that.”

“Then what?”

“What?”

“What do you think you will do?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then don’t do anything.”

“I must do something. It is not normal.”

Silence.

“I did not mean to say normal.”

“What is not normal?”

“I did not mean to say normal.”

“But you said it. What is not normal?”

Silence.

“That I love him?”

Silence.

“Yes.”

“Kim and Niamh are married.”

“That is different.”

“It is the same.”

“That is different.”

“It is the same, just different.”

“They are a man and a woman.”

“They are a black man and a white woman.”

“It is different.”

“It is the same.”

“It cannot be the same. That is normal.”

“They cannot marry legally.”

Silence.

“That is not normal.”

Silence.

Malcolm stared into his lemon tea.

“That is what I mean. It is the same.”

The clock ticked.

“I do not understand this.” his father said. “I’m afraid I can’t understand this.”

“You don’t have to all at once.” he said back. “If you are still my father, you’ll figure it out.”

“If I am still your father?” his father asked.

“If you still love me.” he answered.

The clock ticked.

“If you still look at me and see me, and not something else.”

Silence.

“What else could I see?”

They spoke softly.

“I don’t know.”

Their beverages cooled in their cups.

The clock ticked.

Malcolm stared into his lemon tea.

Charlie waited, and breathed.

“I will try.”

“Will you?”

“I will.”

“Fine.”

Silence.

“You know I love you.”

“I know.”

“You know I always will.”

“You’ve told me so.”

“I mean it. I promise I mean it.”

“I know.”

“I will never hurt you.”

“I know.”

“I will always mean it.”

“I know.”

Malcolm watched his son take a long sip.

Charlie watched him hold his mug tight.

“Why did you tell me?” his father asked.

“Because I trust you.” he answered.

They looked into each other’s eyes.

Grey was earnest, tranquil.

Green was surprised, speechless.

“Oh.”

Charlie leaned back in his wheelchair.

Malcolm drank, and thought.

The clock ticked.

Silence.


End file.
